World marks for the W45 and W60 relay teams, while Julia Machin also holds the world record in the W55 high jump.
The British Masters continued their record-breaking run with two world records in the 4x400m relay at Lee Valley in a special race as part of the Inter Area event on Saturday, while high jumper Julia Machin set a W55 high jump record. Steve Smith reports.
Both the W45 and W60 relay teams got the better of the Irish teams earlier in the month.
The W60s fielded the same foursome that set the outdoor world record by winning European gold in Madeira in October.
Chasing a 4:42.83 target and needing an average of 70.7, European silver medalist Lisa Thomas led them with 66.0 before Christine Anthony posted 70.6 and the record looked formal.
Janice Ellicott, now in the older W65 age group, controlled 70.7 and it was now a case of how far the record would go.
European age group champion Virginia Mitchell was the last runner and needed just 75 seconds to finish in 65.4, more than 10 seconds off the Irish mark of 4:32.60.
The time was just seconds off the team outdoor record of 4:30.03 set in Madeira.
Last year, Mitchell and Anthony, along with Elke Hausler and Claire Elms, also held the 4x800m world record for Britain.
Mitchell is a member of Walton AC and all four athletes who set the record in the W45 are incredibly similar.
They were chasing a 4:12.60 target that looked tougher on paper.
Competing in the same race as the W60s, Lucy Bartlett led them in 65.4, while Susie McLaughlin’s 62.6 brought them a little closer to the target, but they were a few seconds off the schedule at the halfway mark.
Sarah Loades, the reigning European W50 300m hurdles champion, closed the target a little further in 62.0 and a great anchor from Liz Amos, McLoughlin’s twin sister, saw the Walton/British team clear the Irish record by two seconds.
Mixed teams also competed and were led by European M60 4x400m gold medalist Vincent Ely, Alison Collins, World 400m medalist Vol Odell and Elke Hausler, who finished in a team record 4:28.74.
Some of the competitors took part in the Inter Area event which was won overall by Southern Counties Vets.
Thomas won the W60 800m in 2:58.24 and the 200m in 30.38.
Mitchell won the W60 400m in 66.42 and Odell won the M60 200m in 26.97 and Eli won the 400m in 58.70 and the 60m in 7.99.
Amos won the W35 400m in 60.97 and Loades W50 in 63.22.
Former international pentathlete Julia Machin won the W50 long jump with a jump of 4.99m, but already an outdoor world record holder, she added to the W55m world record in the indoor high jump, which she leaped 1.58m to better USA’s Pamela McCartney’s 1.56m as she won the W50 mass event.
He also won the triple jump with a leap of 10.27m.
In other events, the men’s top performance came from Barry Marsden, who improved his British and European M60 record to 8.89 as he closes in on the world record of 8.85 set 22 years ago by American Cortland Gray.
Also holding the record was M65 shooter Alan Leiper, who set a British record of 14.10m, and in the M60 event he finished second behind British M60 record holder Maurice Fox of 14.33m.
Stephen McCauley just missed out on an M50 UK best with a throw of 16.17m in the shot put of 16.21m.
M45 world record holder Mensah Elliott won the M35-49 steeplechase in a fast 8.30.
Jo Rowland won the W35 shot put with a throw of 13.44m and multiple world champion Paula Williams won the W50 event with a throw of 13.13m. Williams also won the W50 60m in 8.64, but broke her ankle in the relay at the meet and will now miss the trip to Toro for the European Championships later this month.
Diana Norman, younger sister of high jumper Machin, shot second but got revenge on Williams in the hurdles with a 9.86 to Williams’ 9.91.
Another close race took place in the W60 event between the W65 pairs as Susan Frisby (10.23) edged world record holder Jane Horder (10.36).
World Champion of the Year Sarah Roberts has yet to return to her 2025 sport, but the W75 won the W70 800m and 1500m with times of 3:25.20 and 6:47.07 respectively.
European M40 champion Chris Loudon won the 1500m in an easy 4:05.61, while another European winner Dean Richardson won the M50 race in a swift 4:10.60.
Rebecca Perry won the W35 60m in 7.70, while Helen Godsell wasn’t too far off her W70 British record of 9.22 in 9.31, and she also won the 200m in 32.42.
The closest result came in the M50 200m when Giuseppe Minetti won the first race in 25.41 to Joshua Wood’s 25.42 and then Will McGee won the second race in 25.42.
